Allegiance Council

The Allegiance Council (Arabic: هيئة البيعة‎‎ Hay’at al-Bay‘ah; also known as the Allegiance Commission or Allegiance Institution is the body responsible for determining future succession to the throne of Saudi Arabia. It was formed on 7 December 2007 by King Abdullah. At the time of its formation, the Council's intended function was to appoint a Crown Prince once a new King succeeds to the throne.

Previously, under of the Basic Law promulgated by King Fahd, the appointment of the next in line was the sole prerogative of the King:

The appointment of a successor by the King was usually done with some form of informal consensus among members of the royal family. However, after Prince Abdullah succeeded Fahd as King, the behind-the-scenes battles over the future of the monarchy intensified, particularly between Prince Abdullah and the Sudairi princes, including Prince Sultan and late Prince Nayef. Due to increasing uncertainty of succession beyond Prince Sultan, King Abdullah issued the Allegiance Institution Law in 2006, which formally established the Allegiance Council. The Council gave additional voice to members of the Al Saud when a new King selects his Crown Prince.

According to an October 2009 diplomatic cable from the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh, the Al Saud described the Council as a "codification of the unwritten rules that have governed the selection of Saudi rulers since the passing of King Abdulaziz in 1953."

The role of the Council was intended to take effect once late Prince Sultan succeeded to the throne. However, in 2009, when he was gravely ill with cancer, late Prince Nayef was appointed Second Deputy Prime Minister (a position for the crown prince in waiting), presumably to keep the position of Crown Prince within the Sudairi faction. This led to uncertainty over the role of the Council. The appointment of late Prince Nayef was openly questioned by Prince Talal.

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